hubs
Question:
i don’t think anyone mentioned this, but w/ manual hubs, you can leave them engaged all the time and shift into and out of 4wd w/o getting out of the truck. the only time i’d recommend disengaging them is if you know you won’t be using 4wd for a long stretch of miles (taking a long highway trip, commuting all week to work, etc). -rob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Thank you Chuck. Just from the story you have to tell…….I can tell that >I will not change them. Thats the kind of story I was looking for. Well >actually i was wanting to hear that they were great and change them right >away. I don’t mind getting out and locking them in. I just thought since >they made auto locks why not get some so then I can just shift on the fly so >to say…..I have not had a problem with my hubs yet. I don’t think it would >be that hard to service them"auto hubs". But like every one seems to say, >they seem to go out when you need them the most. So I will stick to the >spicer?
Response:
Thank you Chuck. Just from the story you have to tell…….I can tell that I will not change them. Thats the kind of story I was looking for. Well actually i was wanting to hear that they were great and change them right away. I don’t mind getting out and locking them in. I just thought since they made auto locks why not get some so then I can just shift on the fly so to say…..I have not had a problem with my hubs yet. I don’t think it would be that hard to service them"auto hubs". But like every one seems to say, they seem to go out when you need them the most. So I will stick to the spicer?
Response:
Actually….I am one of those people who just changed a 96 cavalier motor with a 97 motor "4cyl" . Thats a little more than an oil change…don’t cha think…..all I was asking was if any one had any problems with auto hubs in general, and installing them. I guess that what you are telling me is that all of the old and new fords, chevys, dodge pickups that have auto lock hubs will shit the bed when there up in the mountains. You must be one of those guys who really hate the pushbutton 4×4.
Response:
i have lockout hubs right now, i plan on changing them to automatic so when i want 4×4 i dont have to get out and lock them in. are there any tricks about changing them? thanks……ra
Response:
Let me guess, you are one of those lazy people who takes their vehicle in to have the oil changed! So what happens when you get up in the mountains and your automatic hubs don’t work because the motor burned out? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->i have lockout hubs right now, i plan on changing them to automatic so when >i want 4×4 i dont have to get out and lock them in. >are there any tricks about changing them? >thanks……ra
Response:
>Actually….I am one of those people who just changed a 96 cavalier motor >with a 97 motor "4cyl" . Thats a little more than an oil >change…don’t cha think…..all I was asking was if any one had any >problems with auto hubs in general, and installing them. I guess that what >you are telling me is that all of the old and new fords, chevys, dodge >pickups that have auto lock hubs will shit the bed when there up in the >mountains. >You must be one of those guys who really hate the pushbutton 4×4.
I’m jumping in on this one a little late. I can tell you from personal experience, that automatic hubs typically fail sooner or later. A MAJOR reason for this, is lack of service. Then again, clean and all greased up, they still fail to lock all too often. Sometimes to disengage 4wd, you must drive in reverse to unlock the hubs. It seems automatic hubs and 4wd actuators always fail when you need them most. It’s frustrating when it happens, and there’s typically little you can do "on the spot" to correct the problem. Perfect case in point. A buddy recently bought an 83 K/5 blazer. The first time it snowed and he shifted into 4wd, guess what? The auto hubs wouldn’t lock. He replaced them ASAP with manual hubs. A few years back, we had a nasty winter around here. I plow snow with my 80 GMC. My brother plows with a 95 Dodge Ram 1500. Our third plow truck is a buddy who had a 93 Silverado 1500 at that time. On a nasty storm, with 12" forecast, and 6" on the ground, I got a call from my brother. He was in one of our commercial parking lots, and his 4wd wouldn’t engage. The shifter was in 4wd, and the 4wd light on the dash was lit, but the front axle just kept making grinding noises. It wouldn’t fully engage. He took it to the dealer since it was under warranty. I had to plow his accounts. Less than an hour after my brother called, my buddy with the 93 Silverado called, saying his 4wd didn’t work. Now I had to do his accounts as well. He said the shifter was in 4wd, and the 4wd light on the dash was on, but no 4wd. He went to a friends shop, to see if they could fix it. He came back out to plow 3 hours later with his 4wd working fine. What was the problem? A BLOWN FUSE! Imagine that, 4wd stopped working, because he blew a fuse. My brother’s truck the dealer found nothing wrong. 4wd engaged fine for them. The next time we had to plow, again both of them lost 4wd, even though the shifters were in 4wd, and the dash lights were on. This time, it was different. The 93 Silverado didn’t blow any fuses. The 95 Ram was doing the grinding again. A trip to the dealer revealed that there is a solenoid, or actuator on the front axle of the 95 Ram, that was engaging and disengaging. Replacing it along with the front differential cured the problem permanently (so far). The 93 Silverado wouldn’t engage 4wd because of the actuator on the front axle as well. This is very common on these Chevy models. The less parts to a system, the less to go wrong. I’ll keep my manual hubs thank you. They make fun of my truck, and how old it is, but when they get stuck, they know who to call……. I’ve owned my 77 Chevy K/20 for 11 years now, and not once has my 4wd not worked. My 80 GMC sees severe plowing use, and in the 6 years I’ve owned it, the 4wd has always worked every time. This truck has the stock Spicer manual locking hubs on it. The only push button 4wd I’ve found to work perfectly evertime, is the 4wd on a Catapillar 4wd Backhoe. Not sure what system it uses, but it sure works! ~Chuck www.chuckschevytruckpages.com Check out my 73-87 Chevy Truck pages, all C/K models, lots of tech.Links. www.chuckschevytruckpages.com <A HREF="http://www.chuckschevytruckpages.com">Chuck’s Chevy Truck Pages</A>
